University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Power of Simplicity
Book

The Power of Simplicity

A Management Guide to Cutting Through the Nonsense and Doing Things Right

Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin
McGraw-Hill, 1999
Buy book or audiobook

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
automatisch generiertes Audio
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
automatisch generiertes Audio

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin re-introduce the concepts of simplicity and common sense to a business world steeped in information, high-tech consulting and strategic theories. By getting back to the basics and avoiding the latest hot consulting advice, companies can differentiate themselves in the minds of customers and win increasing returns. getAbstract.com recommends this book to all readers with an interest in business strategy and to anyone who feels mired in a swamp of information and complexity.

Summary

Simplicity: How to Get There

The word "simple" arouses negative connotations in people’s minds. People hear "simple" and immediately think "stupid." Decision makers in the business world go one step further: They hear "simple" and think "consultant." Companies pay large amounts of money to avoid simplicity. They hire consultants armed with complicated graphs and theories to explain why their companies aren’t performing better in the marketplace. They hire other groups to predict the future of the marketplace. When it comes to development or crisis management, they back several ideas instead of focusing all their energy on one.

It is easy to see why. Complexity feels smarter. If someone presents a theory and we don’t understand it, we assume that it’s because we’re not as educated or intelligent as that person. For the most part, this is not true. The greatest thinkers have always strived to make their ideas intelligible. Einstein worked with several different people to make his theory of relativity clear enough for the laymen to understand.

Also, complexity feels safer. In school we are taught to think about every angle of a problem. We are taught to go down ...

About the Authors

Jack Trout is one of the world’s foremost business strategists and the president of Trout & Partners, Greenwich, Connecticut. He has written several books including, Positioning, the best-selling classic. Steve Rivkin co-wrote The New Positioning with Jack Trout. He is the head of a communications consulting firm and is based in Glen Rock, New Jersey.

Comment on this summary